Office



(No Model.) I 4 Sheets-Sheet 1.

J. E. LEADLEY.

APPARATUS FOR GENERATING HEATING OR ILLUMINATING GAS.

No. 289,278. Patented Nov. 2'7, 1888.

wz'zneasea' A ZZQQA (No Model.

4' Shets- Sheet 2. r J. E. LEADLEY. APPARATUS FOR GENERATING HEATING 0RILLUMINATING GAS. No. 289,278.

' Patented Nbvr2'7, 18183.

(No Model.) A 4 Sheets-Sheet s.

' J. E. L EADLEY.

' APPARATUS FOR GENERATING HEATING 0R ILLUMINATING GAS. No. 289,278.Patented Nov. 2'7, 1883.

(No Model.)

J. E. LEADL EY.

APPARATUS FOR GENERATING HEATING 0R ILLUMINATI'NG GAS. No. 289,278.

8 S I Q fave/J67,

4 Sheets-Sheet 4.

' l JJ?% UNITED STATES PATENT @BH EQ JAMES E LEADLEY, OF CAMDEN, NEWJERSEY, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF V TO JOHN HANLON, OF" NEWV YORK, N. Y.

APPARATUS FOR GENERATING l-IEATING OR ILLUMINATING GAS.

SPECIFICATION. forming part of Letters Patent No. 289,278, datedNovember 2'7, 1883. Application filed May a, 1983. (No model.)

ToaZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, J AMES E. LEADLEY, of Camden, in the county ofCamden and State of New Jersey, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Apparatus for Gen: erating Heating and Illuminating Gas;and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exactdescription of the invention, which will enable others skilled in theart to which it appertains tomake and use the same, reference being .hadto the accom panying drawings, and to. the letters of reference markedthereon, which form part of this specification.

This invention relates to the manufacture of illuminating or heating gasby the decomposition of steam, distillation of soft or bituminouscoal,and thevaporization of hydrocarthe fixing or converting chamber byblasts of air, andthe hot products of complete combustion. are finallyconducted through asteamboiler for utilizing all their heat. Theapparatus havingbeen heated up, steam is admitted to and decomposed inthe incandescent fuel, the resulting gases are conducted into thecommingling-chamber, where they are enriched with the vapors of aliquidhydrocarbon, and the mixed gases and vapors are then conductedinto and through the peculiar fix- I ing-chamber, where they areconverted into a fixed homogeneous gas, and the completed gas is finallyconducted through the steamboiler into the hydraulic main or seal-box,fromwhich it is passed to the purifiers on its .way to the holder. Smallcharges of bitumi- 11ous coal are periodically dropped upon the cokedincandescent fuel in the generator and distilled, yielding a largevolume of rich gas, which i's'mixed with the gases resulting from thedecomposition of steam, and is thus reduced to coke, which is used fordecomposing the steam. The oil is forced in measured quantities, byair-pressure, into the vaporizing and commingling chamber.

My apparatus is of peculiar and novel con struction, and the improvementtherein constitut ing my invention will be pointed out in the claims.

Having stated the nature and object of my invention, I will now moreparticularly describe it with reference to the accompanying drawings, inwhich- T Figure 1 represents an elevation of the entire apparatus. Fig.2 represents a longitudinal vertical section thereof, with theoil andair tanks in elevation. Fig. 3' represents a 0 horizontal sect-ion ofthe apparatus. Fig. 4 is a. view, 011 an enlarged scale, of the top ofthe generator and fixing-chamber, showing the charging apparatus withportions broken away. Fig. 5 is a plan view thereof; and Fig. 7

6 is a horizontal section thereof,showing the air-inlet pipes connectedwith the generatingchamber, the commingling and vaporizing chamber, andthe converting or fixing chamber. i

The generator A is of the usual construction, having a tight-fittingash-pit door, a, and having. a flue, b, connecting at itstop andextending down through the wall to the base of the vaporizing andcommingling chamberB. Within chamber 13 is erected the vertical V3.7porizing cylinder or retort 0, having an open flaring ortrumpet-shap'edmouth at thetop, and connecting at the bottom by pipe D with theconverting and fixing chamber. The vapor- 9o izer has near its top aconical oil-distributer, c, resting upon lugs or an annular flangeprojecting from the insideof retort, and the enlarged mouth of theoil-inlet pipe 9 projects down over the distributer. Below the dis- 5tributer are placed the open-work or cellular commingling devices 0,formed of bars or slats of fire-brick in the form of double cones. Adome, b, is mounted on chamber B, for supporting the oil-inlet pipe 9.The converting I00 and fixing chamber E has a smoke-stack, e, with atight fitting lid opening into a funnel above, and has arrangedinternallya central cylindrical flue, F, provided with an externalspiral flange, f, extending from its top to bottom and between the flueand the inner surface of the walls of the chamber. The flue F is open atthe top and connects at the bottom by a short flue, H, with the largecentral flue, H, of the steam-boiler K. The boiler is of the flue andtubular variety, having a large central flue, H, for the passage of hotgases and waste products of combustion from the generating apparatus,and also having a fire-box and the ordinary tubes and stack. It formsthe subject of a separate application, and is therefore not hereinspecifically described.

A pipe, L, and branch Z conduct gas into the hydraulic seal-box L, fromwhich it is passed by pipe Z to the purifiers or holder, and a risingbranch, Z, having a tight-fitting lid at the top, conducts wasteproducts of combustion to the funnel above. The boiler is provided onthe outside with the usual pressure gage, water-gage, and safety-valve,and a pipe, k, rising from the dome connects with generator A and withthe engine of the airpump d by a branch, is. Air-pipes X, having valves:20, connect with the base of generator A, commingling-chamber B, andfixingchamber E, for supplying air to support combustion inthosechambers. Hydrocarbon oil is supplied to the vaporizing-retort O by pipeg from a pressure-tank, G. An air-pump, d, and a reservoir, I, connectedby a pipe, I, having a controlling-valve, are connected to oil-tank bypipe I, having valve 6. The airpipe opens into the top of the oil-tank,supplying air under pressure to the surface of the oil, while the outletoil-pipe 9 extends down to near the bottom of the tank, where its end isopen, in order to conduct oil forced by airpressure as long as any oilremains in the tank. Pipe 9 conducts oil into the tank. The pipe 9 isprovided with a pressure-gage, g, a valve, 9', and a meter, G. Thegenerating-chamber A has mounted upon its top the charging apparatus A,consisting of three cylinders secured in a pivoted revolving plate, andhaving a water-cooled base and a chute connecting the cylinders with theinterior of the furnace. So far as described the charging apparatusforms the subject of claims in another application; but in addition tothe three coalcylinders, there is provided a fourth short cylinder, M,having a cover and astirring-rod, N, passing through it, by which thecoal in the furnace may be loosened up and broken, should it adheretogether or form arches during the distilling and coking operation. Acharge of coal is deposited in the generatingchamber by turning acylinder filled with coal so as to register with the chute, when thecharge slides by gravity down into the chamber. The valves of the airand steam pipes are-provided with rods extending upward, in

order to be operated from a floor above, if desired.

In operating the apparatus a fire is started in the generator, and thecombustion urged by a blast of air till a bed of incandescent fuel isobtained, and at the same time the gaseous products given off from thefuel are burned by blasts of air in the commingliug and vaporizingchamber 13 and in the fixing-chamber E,

raising them to a high temperature, and the waste products, still hot,are conducted through the boiler and out of the stack.- heat of thewaste gases is not required in the boiler, such gases are passed out ofstack e at the top of chamber E. The apparatus having been heated, theair is shut off, the smokestacks closed, and the steam is admitted tothe base of the generator and passed up into the incandescent bed offuel, where it is decomposed, and the resulting gases, together with gasdistilled from the coal, are conducted into the commingling andvaporizing -chamber, where at this time oil is admitted into thedist-ributer c of the vaporizer. The hot gases from the generator passup around the vaporizing-retort O, and then entering at the open mouththereof pass down with the oil-vapors through the cellular comminglingdevices 0', the gases serving to carry the oil-vapors along andpreventing their deposit in the form of hard carbon or lamp-black on thesides of the chamber and fines. The mingled gases and vapors pass thenceinto the chamber E,where they pass through the long spiral channelaround the cylinder F, and then down'through the cylinder, during whichpassage they are fully combined and converted into a fixed gas. This gaspasses through the boiler, down into the hydraulic seal-box, and thenceto the purifiers or holder. By means of the meter G, the quantity of oilsupplied to the vaporizingchamber is accurately measured, and therequired supply is secured by means of the controlling-valve in thesupply-pipe. By means of the reservoir I, a. constant and uniformpressure of air is supplied from the pump to the top of the oil-tank.This does away with the inconvenience and dangers of an elevatedoil-supply tank. The generating-chamber and the commingling andvaporizing chamber are preferably formed in one fire-brick structurecovered by tightly-riveted plates of boiler-iron, and the fixing-chamberis formed in a closely-connected fire-brick structure, also covered withtightly-riveted plates of boiler-iron.

Having described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure byLetters Patent,-

1. In combination with the generating-furnace and the chargingapparatus, the short cylinder M, having a stirring-rod passing throughits cover, and mounted upon a pivoted revolving plate with thecoal-cylinders, whereby it may be brought'into position over thecharging-chute, so that the rod may be In case the IIO thrust into thecoal for stirring and breaking it up, and then turned away from heatedopening. a

2. In combination with the generator, the commingling, and vaporizingchamber having a central cylinder or retort open at the top, andprovided with a distributer, c, and the cellular commingling devices 0and the oilsupply pipe, as and for the purpose described.

at the bottom and a stack and tight-fitting cap at the top, and having acentral flue or cylinder open at the top, and having a discharge-pipepassing through the outer wall of the chamber at the bottom, andprovided with a spiral flange forming a spiral passage be-.

tween the cylinder and the wall of the chamber, in combination with agenerator.

5. The combination of the generator, the

commingling and vaporizing chamber having a central cylinder open at thetop, the fixingchamberhaving a central flue and spiral flange, and asteam-boiler having a central flue and the connecting-pipes, as and forthe purpose described.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I afliX my signaturepresence of two witnesses.

JAS. E. LEADLEY. Witnesses: O. E. DUFFY, B. F. MORSELL.

